The Calling
by lorah-xX
Summary: Almost finished. A family is torn apart over a fantasy country. An old relgion threatens to destroy them, and a romance that will never be possible.
1. A difficult Birth

A Difficult Birth 

High in the snow-capped Murgh Mountains there lived a hunts man and his fair wife. Life was hard for them; they had little money and lived in the most secluded part of the island, contact with other humans was few and far between though they still lived a long and happy life. There love for each other spurred them on then one day, to her delight, Chance became pregnant.

The couple had being waiting along time for the world to bless them with a child but Chance's pregnancy was hard, towards the end she was in much pain, she lay on the cold stone floor of there cave sweat dripping from her forehead in a delirious state. Rhys took good care of her but their food supplies were running low and against his own will he was forced to go hunting in the forest. He left Chance asleep with a bowl of water by her side in case she awoke in his absence, he grabbed his bow and hoped someone was watching over her and guiding her through her pain.

Chance awoke to a gripping pain in her stomach and an empty cave, she shouted for Rhys but heard no reply, however that was the least of her problems as she knew there child was soon to enter the world.

She was too weak to walk for help and there wasn't enough time so Chance had to deliver the child herself. It was painful without drugs but she managed and to her surprise she had twins. This would explain why she was in so much pain, and although she would have loved to raise the two children she knew it was impossible, neither Rhys nor her self had long term work and food was hard to come by in the forest. She decided to wait for Rhys to return for his opinion on what do to, he was probably forced to go and hunt for more food. One thing was for sure though; they were blessed to have both a healthy son and a daughter, even if they couldn't raise them.


	2. Chance's Farewell

Chances Farewell

Passed the days and nights but Chance heard no word from Rhys, she became anxious. He wouldn't just leave her when she was about to bare his child, he was an honourable man, which must mean danger found him in the forest. Unable to care for her two children, who were now a month or so old, she wrapped them each in a separate blanket and put them each in a separate basket. She walked full of sorrow down to the river at the bottom of the Murgh Mountains and softly kissed her two children on the head, placing the baskets in the river and pushing her children 2 separate ways

"May happiness and love find you my children", her tears dropped in the calm river before her, clouding her youthful reflection, making her bitter of the woods for stealing her husband and her happiness as she watched her children float to an unknown future.

Now she had to decide her own fate. She had led her children to a safe life but now she was all alone, unsure weather Rhys would return there was no clear path in her life. The river became dark and wild in front of her and as clouds filled in sky began the perfect storm, turning the skies to the early black of night and witnessing, watching an innocent woman, mother and wife take her own life in the river before her. Her last thought was of her children flowing in the same river, where life ends life begins.

"_Damn!" _Rhys cursed him self as he found the empty cave where he left his wife just a few months ago._The master will not be pleased with me, he wanted them alive!_


	3. Creature of The Storm

Creature of The storm 

She glided silently in the storm, rain bouncing off her wings with some force yet untouched by the violence of the weather. A delicate creature floating so gracefully above mountains, deserts and river banks concentration on her face through out. Her two bright blue eyes sparkled through the rain as if to steal its energy and blonde hair visible in the sky from some distance. An elf with wings, or a fairy with magic? She continued her flight surveying the area for _them._

As she flew over the Murgh Mountains she saw something carried by the river, her eyesight was better than a humans but she still couldn't identify the object. As she inclined her body toward the water she noticed her flowing in the river, _could it be? Could it be one of the two? _

She swooped down and caught the basket in between her teeth with care, knowing the contents were precious to the future; _the only issue now is the other one. _She flew to safety clutching the child searching for a name.

_"Wryal," _Child of the flying elves, child of the future, _she means everything._


	4. Rhys' Punishment

Rhys' Punishment 

As he approached the castle Rhys knew he was in for trouble, the weather reflected the mood of the dark night, he feared for his life.

"_And the children were gone too?" _He wasn't happy.

"_I'm sorry ... I looked everywhere," _Somehow Rhys knew he would be so forgiving.

"_ARRRGHHH! HOW YOU FAILED ME!" _Though his anger scared Rhys he didn't care he was more bothered about finding chance and his child… especially the child.

"_Master, forgive me, but they can't have gone far, unless they were captured. Together are powers are almost unlimited, we could find them." _He felt the masters rage flaring off his aged skin, the years hadn't treat him well yet with age came wisdom, and most importantly power.

"_FOOL! You won't have the chance! You lost my chance … I mean our chance, you must pay." _

And with that he uttered the words under his breath and released his fists producing a red light from his finger tips, thrusting Rhys above the castle ruins into a sound proof cage, locked with magic, unbreakable to even the strongest magician. He wept alone, though he'd always been a prisoner now he was finally surrounded by bars. He thrashed and cursed as he watched his captor walk from the castle, still fuming from his loss.He had nothing to do but await death; little did he know power was rising elsewhere.


	5. Ishtaaru

Ishtaaru

He looked at himself in the mirror and stared proudly. A warrior so brave yet only fifteen years of age, his skin was soft and youthful, he had being taught the arts well. His figure was masculine and he appeared strong, though his features showed his innocence and hard years of struggle he had encountered. He counted himself lucky, he was embarking on a journey that would change his life, and replace the missing elements, his family.

_"Boy! It is time, hurry, we can't afford to dawdle."_ The master had being kind and lucked after him but he knew he must soon go his own way, for he was only an orphan.

"_Ishtaaru! Come, away from the mirror, we must depart, there is much to be done." _This was the only life he knew, everything led up to this journey, it was his purpose, he was destined for power. _Nothing will stand in my way, I will brake free from the master, Ishtaaru shall have his kingdom!_

He dressed in his robes and retrieved a pen knife from his pocket engraved with the symbol. He winced as he cut his arm, just above yesterdays tender wound, and gathered his belongings.

"I am ready, master," his low voice shadowed the dingy basement as they took their accent into the world for the first time in fifteen years.


	6. Captor

Captor

She woke and rose slowly to the sound of screams from the basement, it was the second time this month. It would be so much easier if they just told her everything, they hadn't co-operated since day one. It was impossible to reason with them. Their magic was powerful but they taught her well, they couldn't escape her imprisonment. Answers. She just wanted answers, she deserved them, she deserved to know who she was.

She had fought for them for many years, she had served Lireal's Kingdom well, she considered herself lucky as not everyone had the pleasure of serving Queen Lireal. Even though she took it as an honour she knew also it was her duty, for she called herself her mother. She knew it was impossible, how could an elf fairy mother her? Only a human could mother a human and an elf an elf. All her siblings where elves so why not her? She could even have a different father for she had none of her mother's characteristics. She was someone else's and she knew it. She didn't belong here much as she enjoyed her time with the elves and much as she loved them. She saw them as her family but she embarked on a quest, a quest to find the routes of her blood.

As she reached the chamber she heard the high pitched melodic sound of her families screams. _"Wryal! Please, enough is enough dear daughter. We must sort this in a civil way, end this game, I know you're mad but we have told you all that is important." _Her mother's voice was elegant, rather like her slim figure. Her wings were a mixture of lilac and red, a sign of high authority. It pained her to keep her loved ones like this but they were never straight with her. Was the truth that painful? Her curiosity got the better of her.

"_It's no use! I cannot stand the lies, I can't stand you form sheltering me from my true identity. My fury has led me to forfeit my position to the throne, Queen Lireal. For it's the only way I shall find my truth."_

She hated it but it was the way it had to be. She unlocked the door and set her captors free. Bombarded with words from Mother, Father and her siblings she sprinted for the door searching for herself, beginning her quest for her family.


	7. The Troubles of Nature

The Troubles of Nature 

Four weeks. Four whole weeks they had being travelling, searching for their destiny, searching for _it._ Silence was all that was exchanged between the master and his apprentice in this crucial time of their journey. Across desert for days they travelled, food was scarce. Ishtaaru felt a burning in the pit of his stomach, eating his flesh from the inside out, like a caterpillar working its way through a newly ripe apple. Not that this troubled the master due to his vampire blood, food he needed not, he didn't even crave blood. The magic in his veins allowed him to extract energy form his surroundings, a clever skill which saved much time, and in this case, bloodshed.

"At last, we have reached the sea." The first words he had heard in a while, yet Ishtaaru already wished for the silence that was broken by the harsh voice of his master.

"We swim?" He feared the water due to past ... experience.

"You fool! How do you expect to swim those long miles? Do you never learn, there are always short cuts, this is why I'm the master and not you." And with those degrading words he picked a small twig out of the sand. Held on the middle of his palm he slowly rotated it 360 degrees repeatedly, until it appeared to get bigger. It grew out of itself bigger and bigger by the second, until it was finally a large black raft, marked with _the symbol. _

He hated travelling with this patronising beast but he knew he would soon be free; after all, every step was one step closer to his goal, and one step closer to making the cult the only thing believed though out the country. He stepped on the raft, still getting used to the elements of the weather after his fifteen year imprisonment. Then it began.

Suddenly ripples crossed what was once calm water. Bubbles appeared as if the sea was about to vent anger that had grown over the years. The sky drew black and winds grew to a violent speed, thrusting them up in the air, along with their good ship. As the sea turned a dark red they were thrown back to the sea, no one remembered what occurred next.


	8. First Meeting

First Meeting

She awoke, soothed by the motion of the water beneath her. Who was she? Why was she there? Suddenly it all came flooding back to her. The storm, the gail, the mysterious glow of the sea, could it be magic? She lay confused and motionless for a while as she remembered her quest, still puzzled by how to find people who she didn't know. Maybe the storm had brought a change in the luck of her life, even though she was now without a doubt lost at sea. It was then when Wryal heard a cough, the cough of a male? Nearby but out of sight. The noise startled her, not everyone in the country was safe, you couldn't be too careful with magic users, she'd learnt that from the past.

"Heelllo there??" her voice echoed in the winds, uncertain, still shaken up by the disaster and wondering who else had being befriended by the sea.

"Who goes there?" He was male without a doubt. His deep rugged voice made her imagine his looks, still with youth in his voice, she fantasized for a moment.

"Myy … my name is Wryal," her voice still shaky, impatiently awaiting the face of this new mysterious stranger.

Ishtaaru followed the welcoming melodic voice after his month of miserable silence. It was as if her voice soaked through his skin, filling his body with adrenaline, warming his blood, a feeling he never knew existed. As he paddled frantically he became filled with fear, what if she's dangerous? Then he saw her. Blonde tussled hair flowed down her back, framing her glowing face. She was afraid, he sensed great fear and upset in her eyes. They where as clear and everlasting as the sky. He suddenly felt he had found the power he had being looking for since he was born.

She smiled at him without even realising. He was just as she imagined, his clothes were dark but clean, contrasting with his almost white hair. Of her age she imagined, she almost felt as she already knew him. As his legs kicked the water she noticed a great pain in his face,

"Let me help you," he struggled as she offered a hand, yet he remind stubborn. As she longed to feel his skin brush hers for the first time, his hands slowly slide down the raft as his grip loosened, plunging him into beautiful danger as his eyes slowly closed.


	9. Images

Images

A light. An intense glowing in the distance, the colour of ruby, until it imploded before him, revealing a shattered mess. Wryal, so close yet out of his reach, in the clutches of him, _the enemy._ What once was a wish was now an evil, separating him from his destiny, what he loved the most. Two children in a cradle, his laughing face, Wryal thrown to the floor. A man suspended in the sky, a beautiful woman committing suicide, Wryal thrown to the floor, _dead._

He woke bolt upright, the images flickering rapidly through his mind. As he came to reality he found him self alone in an old room, pitch black, as he used his magic to reach for the conscience Wryal and let out cry of fear. Nothing. His light hollow tears reflected his drained emotions, empty, pulled from the very shell which was now his week lifeless body. A woman he knew with such beauty, there moment together so surreal, suddenly taken away from his changed soul. Changed him she had, he no longer believed his past was right. He saw only his future. No master now, he was his own man, searching for all he knew and loved, wishing, holding on to every hope that fate would shine upon her bringing her once again into his gaze.

All the black and blood shed he had suffered, had that led him to lose her? Was he being punished for what he was forced to believe? The books, the tales, hours of worship and misery spent searching for the ultimate power. He had always believed, now he began to hate the power that consumed him for the strongest power he had ever felt. There is and never was no _**calling, **_for the one he once wanted to call is the one who took her away. At last he had seen sense, he wallowed in his own self pity for a second then begun a fresh start, he had a new quest, he find her and fall deeper in love.


	10. Trauma

Trauma

Trauma 

Her eyes flickered as the dim light of the summer sun set its self upon her face, pulling her into consciousness for the first time in a week. She hung limply from the wall to which her hands and feet were attached, struggling to free herself as she felt her weak body grow heavier by the second. As she realised her energy was wasted in this pathetic escape attempt she scanned her surroundings. Stone walls seemed everlasting until her eyes finally met an open roof revealing the summer sky. Then she remembered. The storm, the stranger, her quest.

She remembered every note of his voice, how she pulled his ice cold body to the shore, a welcome burden in her fragile arms. His face was pure white as she checked his pulse with relief, she wasn't too late. It was falling dark, the stars made his pale skin glisten, possessing, enchanting his body. She pulled him behind her supporting his head carefully, soothed by the sound of his slow breathing and feet trailing behind her on the cobbles. Finally they reached a cosy cottage, entwined with ivy around a grand oak door, she knocked once, but no one came. She knocked again, shocked as the force of her knock opened the door with a creek. It was warmer inside; she heard the familiar crackle of a log fire, just like home. She laid him on the couch, sure they were alone. The colour began to return to his face as she gazed upon his beauty, as the hours passed her by. The next thing she saw was a hand clasp over her mouth, as she felt the unknown man behind her back sink his teeth into her neck.

As she relived this over and over in her mind she became aware of blood trickling down her neck, like raindrops on a window. He appeared before her, the second captor of her life. His laugh echoed, bouncing off the walls of the castle, as she opened her mouth to scream, yet nothing came out.

"_My dear girl, don't waste your precious energy!" _He cackled to himself yet again, walking closer, closer, his steps thudding as his metal boots made contact with the ground.

"_All we have to do now is wait. My senses tell me he has woken … he shall soon be hot on our clear trail, ready to rescue his damsel in distress! Ohh Ishtaaru, how you failed me, apprentice, just like your father, never putting our mission first." _He inclined his head toward Wryly, _"Just like your father."_

His gaze turned to the sky, revealing a distant figure, trapped in a cage.


	11. An Unexpected Rescue Party

An Unexpected Rescue Party

An Unexpected Rescue Party 

It was quiet some time since Wryal had left Lireal's kingdom, the Elf-fly where worried about her. Lireal had raised her as her own, given her everything she could, she was the next in line for the throne, what more could she want? Lireal offered her everything, made her life into a fairytale only to become her prisoner. Her worst fears were confirmed the day Wryal left, Lireal's hospitality wasn't enough to curb Wryal's curiosity.

"Madame!" She was broken from her sorrowful day dreams.

"MADAME!" his scream bellowed through the palace, so high pitched her ears cringed.

"Yes Ebbelin, what's the problem?" Her voice was frustrated, the kingdom; Elf-fly and Humans alike had being fighting a rebel force for many months now, oblivious to the people of the land. A group that could obliterate the whole world at the click of _his _fingers, their master.

"Come Lireal, Freya has made a prediction that concerns you." Ebb was the youngest of her children, and the most ignorant at that, though, this wasn't always a bad quality. She hurried from her chamber to Freya's den. It was the most unusual room in the palace, small, with a slanted roof, rather like a loft conversion than a room in a Queen's residence. The walls were covered with dream catchers and tapestries. In the centre of the room all the royal children were huddled, chatting, full of worry, amongst themselves.

"Make way, little ones," the parted instantly at the sound of her voice, to reveal Freya sat on her rickety wooden rocking chair, her crystal ball in front of her. As she met her eyes amidst all the chaos she saw a deep worry running through her.

"Queen Lireal, I have news of your daughter, _he _has captured her. She is his prisoner at the castle of Yhana, we must be quick, HURRY!"

Lireal didn't move, it was as if her feet were glued to the ground. Her worst fears had been confirmed. If they were just a second too late a dangerous secret would be revealed, or worse, she would become _"one of them." _Freya flew around her in a dance like hurry, collecting various potions for their trip.

"Madame, did you hear me, we must leave instantly."

Shortly after they set off for the castle. Lireal, Freya, and the eldest of Lireal's kin, Kledan. They each knew a great struggle was ahead of them.


	12. The Onnical

Scarlet & Glass

The Onnical 

Ishtaaru stepped out of the cosy home, embarking on his journey to find his missing love. Though he didn't care much for food he carried a small brown leather bag filled with bread, cheese and water bottles, enough for the next few days. As he stepped on to the cold cobbles his bear feet began to tingle as the moisture made contact with his skin, the shower that had hit the street early this morning.

The second thing he noticed about the land was the silence. It was always beautiful, covered with green like an enchanted forest. Snowdrops and Daffodils grew in the gardens, the familiar signs of spring, yet something was missing. No birds could be heard chirping, even though it was early morning, their favourite time. The usually crowded streets were empty, no bustling farmer's wives rushing to the markets, no children playing games in the fine weather, nothing.

His gaze travelled to the far hills where he saw something glisten, rotating in the air, spinning closer to him. It looked extraordinary, catching the sun's rays and deflecting them off in various directions. As it came closer he saw its brilliant colour, a beautiful scarlet, it looked some what expensive, and he knew of its purpose.

"What do you see Freya, do you see the boy?" Lireal had always been impatient yet maybe that was why she was so successful. Since Freya's first discovery she'd had many of visions of Wryal's journey. Her magic allowed her to see passed events, and she stumbled upon Wryal's last human contact.

"Yes he is there; he is following the trap, as we expected, Madame."

The Onnical was a precious stone, for many years the religions of the world had searched to the very ends of the planet for this rare object. It was a valuable gem, made of scarletine, a red liquid. The Onnical had an interesting past; it was created supposedly by the devil. This is why regions didn't seek it for its value, but to destroy it. It was one of the necessary elements needed for _the calling; _an event that would change the world forever.

"We must hurry. Time is running out for Wryal as we speek, we need the boy, he is of vital importance.


End file.
